The Filene Center at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (WOTR) in Vienna, Virginia was constructed in 1971. In 1982 a fire completely destroyed the wood amphitheater. The nation rallied to rebuild, with support from all 50 states ranging from the President to school children. Today, audiences enjoy 80 performances throughout the summer. The venue… Read More

When designing new systems or upgrades to existing systems, we are focused on equipment and system selection to prevent corrosion of the interior of hydronic piping systems. While this is important for system longevity, in real life there are widespread vapor barrier failures in almost every chilled water system, leading to leaks and failures caused… Read More

Recently on a job, I had the opportunity to experience and gain some first-hand knowledge about large industrial water tube boilers. I went on a field survey with our “Boiler Guru”, Pete, and gained my first experience being inside a boiler. This boiler was built and installed in 1961 and is dual fuel, meaning that… Read More

I recently visited a large central utility plant that once powered a data center. With a 3,000 ton chiller plant and 9,600 MBH boiler plant, the system is currently running at a much smaller part load condition than in previous years; but, it still maintains a large load capacity. Even with the reduced load, the… Read More

When I was an intern, I worked on a project at a local university. The head of facilities engineering passed on some sage advice: “The first day a renovated space is open, everyone comments on the finishes and furniture. The next day, they complain about the temperature.” I have apparently said this in the presence… Read More